Brentwood

BRENTWOOD, a district chapelry and market-town,
in the parish of South Weald, union of Billericay,
hundred of Chafford, S. division of Essex, 11 miles
(S. W.) from Chelmsford, and 18 (E. N. E.) from London,
on the road to Norwich; containing 2362 inhabitants.
The name, which is of Saxon origin, signifies a burnt
wood; the woods that once occupied the site having
been burnt down. The hamlet comprises by computation 395 acres. The town is pleasantly situated on a
commanding eminence, and consists principally of one
street; the houses are in general ancient, and irregularly
built: the inhabitants are supplied with excellent water
from wells. Races take place occasionally on a common
near the town. There are cavalry barracks at Warley,
about a mile and a half distant. A large ale and porter
brewery and malting establishment was established about
30 years since; the produce is chiefly for home consumption, and about 5000 quarters of malt are annually
sent to London. The Eastern Counties railway runs
near the town; the station here is of red brick, and in
the Elizabethan style. The market, lately revived, is on
Saturday; the fairs are on July 18th and Oct. 15th, and
are for horses and cattle. Courts leet and baron are
held by the lord of the manor of South Weald: pettysessions for the division take place every Thursday; and
the assizes were formerly held here. The powers of the
county debt-court of Brentwood, established in 1847,
extend over the registration-district of Ongar, and part
of that of Billericay. A portion of the old town-hall
has been converted into shops.

The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £124,
with a residence; patron, Christopher T. Tower, Esq.
The old chapel, dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket, was
originally founded early in the thirteenth century, by
David, Abbot of St. Osyth, and is now used for a national school, a new chapel having been erected by a
grant from the Incorporated Society, and by subscription; it is a plain edifice, with lancet windows. There
is a meeting-house for Independents, and the Roman
Catholics have chapels at Pilgrim Hatch and Thorndon
Hall. The free grammar school was founded and endowed in 1537, by Sir Anthony Browne, Knt., and is
open to all boys residing within three miles of Brentwood; the income arising from the endowment is
£1452, which is paid to the master, subject to an allowance of £10 per annum each to five alms-persons, and
to the expense of keeping the school premises and almshouses in repair. An exhibition of £6 per annum to
Caius College, Cambridge, was founded by Dr. Plume,
with preference to Chelmsford, Brentwood, and Maldon.
The Roman station Durositum is supposed to have been
situated in the vicinity.

Brenzett (St. Eanswith)

BRENZETT (St. Eanswith), a parish, in the union
of Romney-Marsh, partly in the hundred of Aloesbridge, but chiefly in the liberty of Romney-Marsh,
lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 4½ miles (N.
W. by W.) from Romney; containing 228 inhabitants.
It comprises by computation 1768a. 2r. of marshy land,
subject to flood. The living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £7. 18. 11½.; net income, £73; patron
and impropriator, the Rev. W. Brockman, as lessee of
the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church is an ancient
edifice, with a tower surmounted by a spire. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans.

Breock, St. (St. Breoke)

BREOCK, ST. (St. Breoke), a parish, in the union
of St. Columb Major, hundred of Pyder, E. division
of Cornwall, 1 mile (W. S. W.) from Wadebridge;
containing 1733 inhabitants. The parish comprises
6846 acres, of which the soil is generally shelfy, and the
surface hilly, with some large coppice woods in the
valleys; 1719 acres are common or waste. It is situated on the road between Launceston and Falmouth,
and on the river Camel, by which it is bounded on the
north and east, and over which is a handsome bridge of
16 arches. The river is navigable for two miles above
Wadebridge; and a railway has been completed to Bodmin and Simonward, with branches to Ruthyn Bridge
and Wynford Bridge. There are iron-mines at Pawton,
and an iron-foundry: copper has been found, but not
of such quality as to pay the expense of raising it; slate
is obtained for building purposes. Fairs are held on
March 2nd, May 12th, June 22nd, and October 10th.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£41. 10. 10., and in the patronage of Sir W. Molesworth, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £966.
4. 11., and the glebe consists of about 83 acres, with a
residence. In the church are some old monuments of
the Tredenick and Vyal families, now extinct. There
are a chapel of ease at Wadebridge; and places of worship in the parish for Independents, Wesleyans, and
Bryanites. Dr. Hall, Bishop of Exeter in the reign of
Charles I., held the living here in commendam. On
the summit of an eminence which commands an extensive view of the coast, are the remains of an ancient
cromlech.

Brereton, with Smethwick (St. Oswald)

BRERETON, with Smethwick (St. Oswald), a
parish, in the union of Congleton, hundred of Northwich, S. division of the county of Chester, 3 miles
(N. E. by N.) from Sandbach; containing 666 inhabitants. The parish comprises by measurement 4200 acres,
of which the soil is clay and sand; and is situated on the
road from London to Liverpool, and on the Manchester
and Birmingham railway. The ancient residence of the
lords Brereton, from whom the place derived its name,
is a fine old mansion in good preservation, lately purchased by its present occupier, John Howard, Esq. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 0. 5.,
and in the patronage of the family of Royds; net income, £681: the glebe consists of about 20 acres. The
church, a stately structure in the later style of English
architecture, with a roof of carved oak, was formerly a
chapel of ease to the church at Astbury, but was made
parochial, and endowed with the tithes of Brereton cum
Smethwick, in the reign of Henry VIII.; it contains
monuments of Lord Brereton and the Smethwick
family. There is a place of worship for Independents;
and a school has an endowment of £4 per annum.

Brereton

BRERETON, a chapelry district, in the parish of
Rugeley, union of Lichfield, E. division of the hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of Stafford, 1¼ mile (S. E.) from Rugeley; containing about
1160 inhabitants. This district is the south-eastern portion of the parish. The river Trent forms its boundary
on the north-east, and the Grand Trunk canal passes
through it, communicating by two railroads with collieries of considerable extent belonging to Earl Talbot
and the Marquess of Anglesey. The scenery is extremely
beautiful, presenting the varieties of woodland, moorland,
well-cultivated fields, and hill and dale: a large portion
of Cannock Chase is included in the district; the remainder is partly pasture, and partly arable land. The
village lies on the road from Lichfield to Stafford, and
is distant seven miles from the former, and nine from
the latter place; it contains several well-built houses.

The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of
the Vicar of Rugeley, endowed partly by private benefaction, and partly by grants from Queen Anne's Bounty
and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; net income, £120,
with a parsonage-house, and nine acres of glebe. The
church, named St. Michael's, stands on the brow of a
hill by the side of the road; it was built in 1837, at the
cost of nearly £1800, and is a cruciform structure with
lancet windows, containing 422 sittings, of which 222
are free. Its situation has been happily chosen to set
it off to advantage, and it is much admired. A national
school for boys was established in 1843, and is supported
by subscription; there is also a national school for girls,
founded by Miss Sneyd. A boys' day school, established
by Miss Birch, was endowed by her with £70 per annum;
and the same lady founded almshouses for six poor people, to each of whom she left a perpetual allowance of
4s. per week. This last school and the almshouses are
in connexion with the Wesleyan Methodists, who have
here a place of worship.

Bressingham (St. John the Baptist)

BRESSINGHAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish,
in the union of Guiltcross, hundred of Diss, E. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (W.) from Diss; containing
647 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2364 acres, of
which 1569 are arable, 634 pasture, and 76 woodland;
and is situated on the road from Thetford to Diss, and
bounded on the south by the river Waveney, which separates it from Suffolk. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £15, and in the patronage of C. Bidwell, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £604.
16.; there are 37 acres of glebe. The church was rebuilt, with the exception of the chancel, in 1527, having
been commenced some time previously by Sir Roger
Pilkington, Knt., lord of the manor; it is in the decorated style, and consists of a nave, chancel, and aisles,
with an embattled tower. Conduit Meadow, in the
parish, is so called from a spacious conduit, now in a
ruinous state, constructed by Sir Richard de Boyland,
to supply some baths and an extensive moat which encompassed his grounds.

Bretby, county of Derby.—See Bradby.

BRETBY, county of Derby.—See Bradby.

Bretforton (St. Leonard)

BRETFORTON (St. Leonard), a parish, in the
union of Evesham, Upper division of the hundred of
Blackenhurst, Pershore and E. divisions of the county
of Worcester, 3¾ miles (E.) from Evesham; containing 511 inhabitants. The lands belonged to the abbey
of Evesham even before the Conquest. The parish is
situated on the border of Gloucestershire, which bounds
it on the east and south; it is intersected by the road
from Evesham to Campden, and comprises 1632 acres.
The soil is various, but the greater part is stiff clay; and
the surface is flat. The village is of neat and respectable
appearance. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £6. 5.; net income, £82; patron,
Admiral Morris; impropriators, the landowners. Land
and a money payment were assigned to the vicar, in lieu
of all tithes, in 1765; the glebe consists of 90 acres.
The church is spacious and airy, with a well-built tower
at the west end; a chapel juts out on the north and
south, and the building is thus rendered cruciform.

Bretherdale

BRETHERDALE, a township, in the parish of
Orton, East ward and union, county of Westmorland,
3 miles (S. W.) from Orton; containing 82 inhabitants.
The manor belonged to Byland Abbey, Yorkshire, but
at the Dissolution was purchased by the family of Wharton, and is now the property of the Earl of Lonsdale.
A rent-charge of £22. 9. 10. has been awarded as a commutation for the vicarial tithes; the rectorial were purchased by the landowners in 1618.

Bretherton

BRETHERTON, a township and ecclesiastical district, in the parish of Croston, union of Chorley,
hundred of Leyland, N. division of the county of Lancaster, 10 miles (N. N. E.) from Ormskirk; containing
833 inhabitants. This place was the manorial residence
of the Banastres or Banisters, previously to the reign of
Edward III.; and a Thomas Banastre, who is conjectured to have been of this family, was beheaded in the
reign of Edward II. by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, for
his active opposition to that powerful and factious baron.
The township comprises 2292 statute acres, of which
816 are arable land, 618 meadow, 732 pasture, 13 woodland, and 113 acres gardens, &c.; the surface is rather
flat, and the soil a stiff clay, marsh, loam, and hazel.
The river Lostock bounds the township; the rivers
Douglas and Yarrow meet here, and run into the Ribble
about a mile distant: here is also a branch of the Leeds
and Liverpool canal, and the Liverpool and Preston
turnpike-road runs across the township from Bank bridge
to Cara-House bridge. Bank Hall, the seat of George
Anthony Legh Keck, Esq., was built in 1608, and restored in the Elizabethan style, in 1832. The living is
a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Rector of
Croston; net income, £150, with a house erected in
1847. The tithes have been commuted for £325, payable to the rector of Chorley, and £45 to the rector of
Croston. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was consecrated on the 26th of June, 1840; it is
in the early English style, and cost £1260. There are
places of worship for Wesleyans and Independents. A
free school was built in 1654, at the expense of James
Fletcher, who endowed it with £230, to which various
donations have been added.

Bretsford

BRETSFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of Wolstan,
union of Rugby, Kirby division of the hundred of
Knightlow, N. division of the county of Warwick,
6½ miles (E. by S.) from Coventry; containing 148 inhabitants. The name is a corruption of Bradforde, and
is derived from the breadth of a ford here. In the 11th
of Henry III., Nicholas de Verdon, lord of the manor,
obtained a special charter for a weekly market on Tuesday; and his descendant, Theobald, had the power of
life and death both at this place and Brandon, with
other privileges. Here was anciently a chapel dedicated
to St. Edmund, supposed by Sir William Dugdale to
have been founded by one of the Turviles.

Brettenham (St. Mary)

BRETTENHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Thetford, hundred of Shropham, W. division of
Norfolk, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Thetford; containing
62 inhabitants. It comprises 2001 acres, of which 573
are common and heath. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 12. 6., and in
the patronage of the Bishop of Ely: the tithes have been
commuted for £200, and the glebe comprises 18 acres.
The church is in the decorated style, and consists of
a nave only; the chancel, with the parsonage-house,
having been burnt down in 1693: the entrance on
the south is by a Norman doorway. Roman coins of
Vespasian and other emperors, and urns, have been
dug up.

Brettenham (St. Mary)

BRETTENHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Cosford, W. division of Suffolk, 4
miles (N. N. W.) from Bildeston; containing 367 inhabitants. This place is supposed by some to have been
the site of the Roman station Combretonium, which others
have endeavoured to fix at Brettenham in Norfolk; but
the distances in the Itineraries justify neither of these
suppositions. The station was most probably Burgh,
near Woodbridge, where are evident remains of a Roman
post. The parish comprises by computation 1300 acres.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£11. 3. 11½., and in the patronage of the Crown; net
income, £377.

Bretton, Monk

BRETTON, MONK, a township and district chapelry,
in the parish of Royston, wapentake of Staincross,
W. riding of the county of York, 1½ mile (N. E.) from
Barnsley; the township containing 1719 inhabitants.
The chapelry includes Upper and Lower Cudworth, and
comprises 3809 acres, of which 2129 are in Monk-Bretton township and tithe-free. It is intersected by the
Barnsley canal and the Midland railway: the population
has rapidly increased within the last ten years, and
many persons are employed in linen weaving and bleaching. A district church dedicated to St. Paul, containing
700 sittings, was built at a cost of £1200, defrayed principally by subscription, and was consecrated 9th June,
1840; it is in the Anglo-Norman style, built of stone
supplied from quarries here, and occupies a site given by
Sir George Wombwell, Bart., lord of the manor. The
living is in the patronage of the Vicar of Royston, with
a net income of £150. A priory of the Cluniac order
was founded in the reign of Henry II., the remains of
which may still be seen: at the Dissolution, its revenues
amounted to £323. 8. 2. An almshouse, comprising
six tenements, is supposed to have been founded by Dame
Mary Talbot, in 1654; Sir G. Wombwell allows 50s.
annually to each, and repairs the buildings.

Bretton, West

BRETTON, WEST, a chapelry, partly in the parish
of Sandall Magna, Lower division of the wapentake
of Agbrigg, and partly in the parish of Silkstone,
wapentake of Staincross, union of Wakefield, W.
riding of York, 6 miles (S. S. W.) from Wakefield; containing 564 inhabitants. This place, which is on the
Denby-Dale road to Manchester, is the property and
residence of Thomas Wentworth Beaumont, Esq., lord
of the manor; and comprises by computation 1992 acres,
tithe-free, of which 760 are within the limits of the
demesne of Bretton Hall. The present Hall was erected
by Sir William Wentworth, Bart., in 1730, when the
original mansion of the family, with the adjacent chapel,
was taken down; considerable additions were made by
the late Col. Beaumont and his lady, after designs of
Sir Jeffrey Wyatville, and many improvements have been
completed by the present proprietor. Henry VIII. and
suite slept three nights in the old mansion; and the
panels, chairs (the latter of oak, curiously carved), and
draperies of his bedroom were removed to the new Hall.
The park abounds with sylvan scenery, enlivened by the
windings of the river Dearne, which flows through a
picturesque valley, and in the southern part of the
grounds expands into two beautiful lakes; the upper
lake is called Virginia Water, and is surrounded by bold
rocky banks, with drives and walks enriched by grottos
and Virginian plants. The chapel is a handsome edifice
in the Grecian style, built in 1737, by Sir William Wentworth; it is the private property of Mr. Beaumont, who
pays the chaplain, but it is open to the public.

Breward, St., or Simonward (St. Bruard)

BREWARD, ST., or Simonward (St. Bruard), a
parish, in the union of Camelford, hundred of Trigg,
E. division of Cornwall, 6¾ miles (N. by E.) from
Bodmin; containing 724 inhabitants. It comprises 9230
acres, of which 2780 are common or waste. The surface
is boldly undulated; and the lofty hills of Rough Tor
(contracted into Rowtor) and Brown Willy are both
within the limits of the parish. From the latter, which
is 1368 feet above the level of the sea, a most extensive
view is obtained over the English and Bristol Channels;
and on the summit of the former are the remains of an
ancient building supposed to have been a chapel, and a
Logan stone. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £8, and in the patronage of the
Dean and Chapter of Exeter: the tithes have been commuted for £150 payable to the Dean and Chapter, and
£290 payable to the vicar, who has also 70 acres of
glebe. The church is an ancient structure, partly Norman, and partly in the later style of English architecture. There are some circles of stones in the vicinity of
the parish.

Brewers, Isle.—See Isle-Brewers.

BREWERS, ISLE.—See Isle-Brewers.

Brewham-Lodge

BREWHAM-LODGE, an extra-parochial liberty, in
the hundred of Norton-Ferris, E. division of Somerset, 5 miles (E. by N.) from Bruton; containing 8 inhabitants. This place consists of one estate, comprising nearly 800 acres; and acquired its extra-parochial privileges from having been one of King John's
hunting-seats: a wood in the vicinity retains the name
of King's Wood. Alfred's Tower, here, was erected by
Henry Hoare, Esq., in commemoration of a victory
obtained in the vicinity by that prince over the Danes:
it is a triangular brick building, 155 feet in height, surmounted at each angle by a turret; and over the entrance is an inscription, recording the good qualities
and noble exploits of Alfred. About half a mile towards
the north-east is a small oval encampment, called Jack's
Castle, which is thought to be of Danish construction;
and human bones, spears' heads, and urns containing
the ashes of burnt bones, have been dug up in the
neighbourhood, which was the scene of various conflicts
between the Saxons and the Danes.

Brewham, North and South (St. John the Baptist)

BREWHAM, NORTH and SOUTH (St. John the
Baptist), in the union of Wincanton, hundred of
Bruton, E. division of Somerset; containing 905 inhabitants, of whom 392 are in North Brewham, 3½
miles (E. N. E.) from Bruton. This district takes its
name from the river Brew, and is divided into two
distinct parishes having one church: North Brewham
comprises 2023a. 2r. 10p., of which about 100 acres are
woodland and 139 common or waste; and South Brewham, 2661a. 2r. 30p., of which 1845 acres are pasture,
379 arable, and 437 wood. The soil is mostly clay,
stony in some places, and in some parts tolerably good
mould; the surface is much diversified with hill and
dale, and thickly wooded. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £102; patron and impropriator,
Sir H. R. Hoare, Bart.: the tithes of North Brewham
have been commuted for £169, and those of South
Brewham for £180. The church is a neat edifice, lately
repaired at a great expense; in the churchyard are the
shaft of an old cross, and two fine yew-trees. A chapel
formerly stood at North Brewham, the remains of which
have been converted into a barn.

Brewhouse-Yard

BREWHOUSE YARD, an extra-parochial liberty,
in the union of Radford, S. division of the wapentake
of Broxtow, N. division of the county of Nottingham; containing 110 inhabitants. This district adjoins the town of Nottingham, lying south-east of the
Castle rock, and on the north bank of the Leen. It was
formerly under the jurisdiction of the castle, and had a
malt-kiln and brewhouse for the use of the garrison;
but in 1621 James I. constituted it a distinct constablery.
A society, called the "Philadelphians," or the "Family
of Love," from the love they professed to bear all men,
even the most wicked, used to meet here; their founder
was one David George, an Anabaptist, of Holland, who
first propagated his doctrines in Switzerland, where he
died in 1556.

Brewood

BREWOOD, a parish, in the union of Penkridge,
E. division of the hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division
of the county of Stafford, 7 miles (N. by W.) from
Wolverhampton, and 10 (S. by W.) from Stafford; comprising by survey 11,900 acres; and containing, with
the liberty of Coven and the township of Brewood, 3641
inhabitants, of whom 2991 are in the township. The
town, though small, is of great antiquity. Stukeley, in
his Itinerary, speaks of it as "a village on the Penk, which
they say has been an old city; on plowing the fields
they frequently find Roman coins and other antiquities;
in that great old city King John kept his court." It is
about a mile south of the Roman Watling-street, which
forms the northern boundary of the parish for upwards
of three miles; there are several streets and a spacious
market-place, but the market held on Friday has been
discontinued, and the market-house pulled down. Fairs
for cattle, horses, &c., are held on the 2nd Thursday in
May, and the 19th of September. The parish is intersected by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire and the
Birmingham and Liverpool canals, for the latter of which
here is a reservoir covering about 200 acres; the Liverpool and Birmingham railway also passes through, and
has one of its stations, the Four Ashes', near Brewood.

The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £15; patron, the Dean of Lichfield:
the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £670, and
the impropriate for £1928. The church is a large and
ancient edifice, with a tower and fine lofty spire, which
latter is a most picturesque object from every part of
the surrounding country: in the chancel are four very
handsome recumbent monuments to the Giffard family.
A chapel of ease was erected at Coven in 1839. The
Independents have a place of worship; and there is a
Roman Catholic chapel, built in 1844: at Coven is a
place of worship for Wesleyans. The free grammar
school here has existed from time immemorial, and is
supposed to have been founded by a Dr. Knightley; the
instruction is classical, but an English education is also
afforded, a small annual charge being made for writing
and arithmetic. Bishop Hurd, who, with other distinguished persons, was educated in it, appropriated in
1800 two houses for the benefit of the school; and
in 1827, £1000 four per cents. were bequeathed by
Richard Hurd, Esq., nephew of the bishop: the endowments are now upwards of £400 per annum.
There are national schools in the town, and one in Coven,
supported by subscription; two schools are maintained
by the ladies of two families, and in one of them the
children are clothed as well as educated. A bank for
savings was established in 1818. The charity funds of
the parish amount to £62 per annum, and are at the
disposal of the churchwardens.—See Chillington,
Coven, &c.

Briavell's (St.)

BRIAVELL'S (ST.) a parish, in the hundred of
St. Briavell's, union of Chepstow, W. division of the
county of Gloucester, 8 miles (W. by S.) from Blakeney; containing, with Hucknalls and other extra-parochial portions, 1287 inhabitants. This is a place of considerable antiquity, having given name to the hundred.
Milo, Earl of Hereford, built a castle here in the reign
of Henry I., as a frontier fortress against the Welsh:
the north-western front, including two circular towers,
now used as a prison for the hundred, is all that remains. Edward II. granted the inhabitants a charter
for a weekly market, which has long been disused; and
Edward III. exempted the burgesses from the payment
of toll throughout the kingdom: this exemption is not
now claimed, but the inhabitants still enjoy the right of
cutting wood in the Forest of Dean, which they form
into hoops and other articles, and send to Bristol. The
parish comprises by computation 3312 acres, of which
1477 are meadow and pasture, 1307 arable, 508 woodland, and 20 waste. There are several coal-works in the
vicinity; and until lately a court was held for regulating
matters in dispute among the miners, but an act was
passed in 1842 for abolishing this court. The living is
annexed to the vicarage of Lidney: the appropriate
tithes, belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Hereford,
have been commuted for £215, the vicarial tithes for
£229, and the impropriate for £8. The church is a
small cruciform edifice, principally in the Norman and
early English styles.

Bricett, Great (St. Mary and St. Lawrence)

BRICETT, GREAT (St. Mary and St. Lawrence),
a parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and
Claydon, E. division of Suffolk, 3½ miles (E. N. E.)
from Bildeston; containing 214 inhabitants, and comprising 912a. 3r. 21p. The living is a perpetual curacy;
net income, £100; patrons and impropriators, the Provost
and Fellows of King's College, Cambridge. A priory of
Augustine canons was founded about 1110, by Ralph
Fitz-Brien, in honour of St. Leonard; the possessions of
which, on the suppression of alien priories, were given
by Henry VI. to the Provost and Fellows.

Bricett, Little

BRICETT, LITTLE, in the union and hundred of
Bosmere and Claydon, E. division of Suffolk, 4½
miles (S. S. W.) from Needham-Market; containing 25
inhabitants. It was formerly a separate parish, but is
now a hamlet to Offton: the living, a discharged rectory,
was consolidated with the vicarage of Offton, when the
church fell into decay, about the year 1503.

Brickendon

BRICKENDON, a liberty, in the parish of All
Saints, Hertford, union, hundred, and county of
Hertford, 3 miles (S. by W.) from Hertford; containing 757 inhabitants.

Brickhill, Bow (All Saints)

BRICKHILL, BOW (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, 2 miles (E.) from Fenny-Stratford; containing 566 inhabitants. The parish is intersected by the Roman Watling-street; and comprises by
computation 1550 acres, the soil of which is various,
being sandy on the hills, and heavy clay in other parts:
a very hard species of ironstone is quarried for building. Many females and children are employed in making
lace and platting straw. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £15. 0. 2½., and in the patronage
of Queen's College, Cambridge; net income, £370.
Land and annual money payments were assigned under
an inclosure act, in 1790, in lieu of tithes; the land consists of 250 acres. The church was enlarged a few
years since. Charles Purrett, in 1633, left several
bequests for charitable purposes. There is a national
school, and the poor have 198 acres of heath land.
The remains of the Roman station Magiovintum are still
visible here, and coins are frequently turned up by the
plough.

Brickhill, Great (St. Mary)

BRICKHILL, GREAT (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, 2¾ miles (S. E. by S.) from
Fenny-Stratford; containing 721 inhabitants. The manor
was anciently possessed by the Beauchamps, from whom
it passed by female heirs to the Bassets and Greys.
Richard Grey, Earl of Kent, sold it in 1514 to the Somersets, and the Somersets, in 1549, to the Duncombes;
from this last family it passed to the Bartons and
Paunceforts. The parish is bounded on the west by the
Levet river, and on the east by the road from FennyStratford to Dunstable: the London and Birmingham
railway passes within about a mile and a half of the
church. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £18. 2. 11.; net income, £425; patron, P. P.
Duncombe, Esq.: land was assigned in 1771, in lieu of
tithes, and other tithes have been recently commuted
for a rent-charge of £80. In the church are monuments
to several of the early families connected with the
parish. There are places of worship for Baptists and
Wesleyans; and a sum of £5 is annually contributed by
Mrs. Duncombe for instructing a few children.

Brickhill, Little (St. Mary)

BRICKHILL, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, 2 miles (E. S. E.) from FennyStratford; containing 563 inhabitants. This place, which
is situated on the great road to Holyhead, was at an
early period of considerable importance, and received the
grant of a market by charter dated in 1228: a fair was
at the same time bestowed, to be held on the festival of
St. Mary Magdalene; and by subsequent charter, another,
on May 12th. The latter fair is still held, and there is
also one on the 18th October; but both are insignificant.
The assizes were formerly held here, and for the last
time in 1638; the gallows stood upon a heath about a
mile distant, and between the years 1561 and 1620 the
names of forty-two executed criminal offenders appear
among the burials in the parochial register. The parish
comprises by computation 1254 acres; the quality of
the soil is various, a strong clay being found on the
level ground, and on the hills a light sand. The manufacture of plat and lace affords employment to about
200 persons. Prior to the inclosure in 1796, the living
was a discharged vicarage, which it is still considered to
be, or will be after the next presentation, although at
present designated a perpetual curacy: it is in the
patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as impropriator of the rectory, which is valued in the king's books
at £9; net income of the minister, £119. Under the
inclosure act, land and annual money payments were
assigned in lieu of tithes; the glebe consists of 58 acres.
The church is an ancient structure of English architecture. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and
an endowment of £5 per annum is applied in teaching
poor boys. Fine specimens of sulphate of lime have
been found.

Bricklehampton

BRICKLEHAMPTON, a chapelry, in the parish of
St. Andrew, Pershore, union, and Upper division of
the hundred, of Pershore, Pershore and E. divisions
of the county of Worcester, 3¼ miles (S. E.) from
Pershore; containing 173 inhabitants. The parish is
bounded by the river Avon, and intersected by the road
between Evesham and Pershore; it contains 859 acres.
The living, which is valued in the king's books at
£2. 14. 2., is annexed to the vicarage of Pershore: the
chapel, dedicated to St. Michael, is a neat stone edifice
with a brick tower.

Brickleton

BRICKLETON, a tything, in the parish of HurstBourn-Tarrant, union of Andover, hundred of Pastrow, Kingsclere and N. divisions of the county of
Southampton; containing 145 inhabitants.